Snow shoveling can be an especially painful experience due to low back disc compression from repeated bending and lifting of heavy snow loads (the average shovelful of snow weighs 15-25 pounds). Each year over 100,000 people in North America end up in emergency rooms, clinics and doctors' offices due to injuries related to snow shoveling; sadly over 100 people suffer cardiac arrest and die. The shovel is ubiquitous, yet its design has remained relatively unchanged for thousands of years. The majority of households in North America have at least one long shaft tool that, due to design, will cause some level of back strain due to inappropriate bending or excessive spinal loading.
Accordingly, the applicants have recognized a need for improved systems and methods for facilitating the use of various implements.